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Flynn sets record for shortest tenure as national security adviser – Metro US

Flynn sets record for shortest tenure as national security adviser

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In the 64 years since the national security adviser position has existed, one person holds the record for occupying it for the shortest amount of time: Michael Flynn.

Flynn resigned late Monday night after admitting that he misled President Donald Trump’s administration on possibly illegal conversations he had with a Russian contact.

He had held the position of national security adviser just 24 days.

“Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador,” Flynn said in his resignation. “I have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president, and they have accepted my apology.”

RELATED: Trump national security adviser Flynn resigns in controversy over Russian contacts

Flynn revealed that he spoke to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak about U.S. sanctions on Russia prior to Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. His resignation comes on the heels of reports that the Department of Justice shared concerns that Flynn could be susceptible to blackmail attempts for his contact with Kislyak.

The national security advisor job is not one that is traditionally long-term. The average tenure is 2.6 years, The Washington Post reported.

Since President Dwight D. Eisenhower created it in 1953, 25 people have held the position of national security adviser.

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Until Flynn, William H. Jackson held the position the shortest, with 129 days served under Eisenhower. Richard V. Allen now comes in third with 348 days under President Ronald Reagan. He stepped down after he was accused of accepting a bribe from a Japanese magazine in 1982. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Henry Kissinger had the longest tenure as national security adviser, with 2,478 days served under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1969 and 1975.

Until a replacement for Flynn is named, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg is acting national security adviser. Trump named him chief of staff on the National Security Council in December.

Retired general and former CIA director David Petraeus; Robert Harward, former deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command; and Kellogg are under consideration for Flynn’s former job, a White House official said, with Harward reportedly the front-runner.